Vicissitude
by dragonheartt
Summary: ********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. ********* I don't recommend reading this fic unless you've already seen the finale. - Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost...
1. Chapter 1

********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

* * *

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

* * *

Chapter 1 : Changes

Connor helped Kieren limp through their anomaly. He froze, and Kieren looked at him, confused, before he followed Connor's line of sight.

"Connor, what's wrong?" Jenny Lewis? What was she doing here?

"Jenny?" He asked, hesitant.

"It's Claudia, Connor. Are you alright?" Connor stared at her in shock, and the woman noticed Kieren's injury, bandaged up. "Kieren! I thought you were following an Albertosaur - where did you get that treated?"

Kieren looked at Connor again, before he cleared his throat.

"I think Evan.. changed something, Connor." The injured man said.

His flabbergasted friend blinked a few times before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Claudia Brown." He paused, and fear struck him. "Tell me Abby's alright…" He pleaded.

"Abby? Abby who?"


	2. Chapter 2

********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

* * *

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

* * *

Chapter 2 : Promises

Connor's brain stuttered, stalling to a halt as the bottom fell out of his universe. Kieren was quick to respond, feeling his friend shaking : claudia shifted Kieren so his arm was over her shoulders, and then another teammate Connor didn't recognize personally caught him, just as his knees gave out.

Breath left his lungs like he'd been kicked in the stomach with a steel-toed boot. The man he didn't recognize helped him stand, but Connor didn't want to. He couldn't.

He had to go back. He couldn't live if Abby didn't exist here. He knew he wouldn't. He had no will to live without her in the world in some way.

"No." Claudia turned around to face Connor. Whatever she and Kieren and the stranger supporting him were saying, Connor did't know - their voices were muffled, unclear, unimportant.

"Connor -"

"I need to go back. This- it isn't my universe, my timeline, whatever. Maybe… maybe there were two anomalies in the same spot again, and I walked through the one that led here. Like Cutter-" Connor's voice cracked. "-He said your name. Jenny looks just like you, only you're not her, at all. Different timelines… I can get back, and try again, go back through until I find Abby."

"Connor, calm down, please. Let's just get back to the ARC, okay? I know all about the timelines - but connor, the anomaly's closed."

"What?!" He pulled away from the strangers, whipping around to see that, in fact, there was no longer an anomaly there. "No! Abby!" He stumbled, and collapsed to his knees on the ground, sobbing.

* * *

It was all a blur. The ARC looked the same, inside and out. There were people he'd never met. There were people he knew, as well.

In a dim, objective part of his brain, Connor noted that this timeline seemed to run the same way - Stephen and cutter had died the same way, as had Helen, April, and Phillip. Only there wasn't any Abby Temple (or Maitland, for that matter), and he'd survived the Cretaceous with someone named Jack.

Bt that was all barely noticed, as Connor was numb. He didn't respond when spoken to, just sipped at the tea now gone cold that Claudia had gotten for him. Kieren seemed to be dealing better, but Connor just stared into the middle distance, tears running down his cheeks.

He would never get back to his wife, and that realization stopped him cold.

* * *

When Connor heard the name Jack, could he be faulted for thinking of Abby's brother, as impossible as that was?

A week had passed in this timeline, and Connor was still like a ghost, thin to be almost wraithlike, because no one could convince him to eat much at all. He spoke monosylables, and in such a quiet tone that it nearly broke everyone's hearts to hear him speak at all.

He moved infinitely slowly, too numb and weak and uncaring to even bother to try to move quickly.

Lester had done all he could. He'd threatened in as many ways as he could to convince Connor to eat, to actually live. He gained baleful glares and absent gazes and more tears than he was happy about. To no avail.

Lester had given up.

Matt, Becker, Emily, Jess and Kieren didn't know what to do. The stranger, whose name was Mac, kept Jack away from Connor.

Footsteps sounded outside the little room Connor was staying in in the ARC. He slowly looked up at the sound of a woman clearing their throat.

"Hello. Mac's told me what happened, he told me not to visit you, but I couldn't help myself. Kieren said…" She hesitated, and in the pause, Connor's eyes focused.

"Abby?" He whispered, voice crackign from disuse.

"Erm, no, I'm sorry. That's probably why they kept me away. I look just like her?" The young woman with white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes and Abby's voice said. He blinked uncomprehendingly, and then his heart shattered all over again.

"Like with Jenny, and Claudia? I read up, when you came back different…" Not-Abby said quietly. Connor didn't respond. "Can I come in?"

He managed a sharp nod, and felt the mattress sink as she settled next to him.

"I'm Jackalyn Maitland. We met seven years ago, at CMU. We were part of the original anomaly team together." She explained softly. Connor slowly turned, with wide eyes, to look at 'Jack'.

"When we first met, you were studying herpetology, and I was studying paleontology. You blackmailed you way into my flat." Jack took a deep breath, and then she put her hand on Connor's. "We've lived together for the better part of the past 7 years." She paused. "I know I'm not your Abby, and I know you're not my Connor, but we're still basically the same, yeah? I lost my best friend the day you lost your wife. Maybe we could try?"

Connor suddenly stood, leaving the little room without comment. Footsteps tapped along the floor's grating as he walked away, presumably to the break room. Jackalyn stifled a sob of her own.

She had hoped, maybe it would be possible. She loved her Connor, but this Connor was not all that different, she'd thought.


	3. Chapter 3

********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

* * *

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

* * *

Chapter 3 : Wake Up Call

Connor sipped at the tea he'd made. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. For different reasons than usual, his mind buzzing with the conversation with 'Jack' Maitland.

She wasn't Abby. But she was. The words he'd spoken just a week ago to Angelika Finch resounded in his mind like foreshadowing in a novel. He'd known, on a level, that this was possible. It was a risk of going through an anomaly.

That didn't help him deal with the reality of it. He didn't know how Cutter had managed as well as he had… but then, he hadn't really, had he? Things hadn't been okay, and then Stephen had died and then, much too soon following that, Cutter had died, too.

Connor's stomach growled again. His heart was broken, sharp shards like those of an anomaly, cutting him fro mthe inside out. But… maybe he could try to live. Even the thought of giving up on getting home to Abby made his stomach clench. He felt like he was betraying her, by not going out there and trying to get back to her.

He just didn't know how.

And that - this was why he had no idea how to deal with Jackalyn Maitland, the spitting image of Abby. She loved the other him, he loved the other her. But accepting his situation and seeing if it would be possible to love Jack… it was a betrayal of Abby, it was horrible and wrong and he couldn't do it. But wasting away was equally as bad.

No, he would have to wake up and smell the coffee„ and start thinking as a scientist. He understood the anomalies as well as it was possible as of yet. Maybe - possibly - he could find a way to find the link to the other timeline.

He had to.


	4. Chapter 4

********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

* * *

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

* * *

Chapter 4 : Theories

When Jackalyn found him, Connor was sat at a table, a few crumbs left of a sandwhich left in a wrapper. She couldn't help but smile. Whether it was because of something she'd said, or whether he'd just decided on his own, Connor was actively trying to live, without being forced to.

It was a huge relief.

He was muttering something, and acknowledged her with a brief nod as he scribbled something on a bit of paper.

She didn't try to take a look, not only because she hadn't a hope of understanding it, probably, but also because she didn't want to interrupt him. It had to be something important. She sat there across from Connor as she ate her own lunch, quietly watching him work. He was almost, but not quite, like her Connor. There were differences, some less obvious than others, and she knew that she was different from his Abby as well. That was okay. She didn't rightly know what she'd been thinking, suggesting they replace their loved ones with each other. But maybe friends would be okay?

Connor reached for another bite of sandwhich, and pouted when he found it was all gone: he'd found he was starving, once he'd begun eating. He looked up at Jack, and then at her sandwhich.

The blonde smiled, and tore it in half, handing him one roughly trianglular piece.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

She waited a moment, and then Jack touched the paper.

"What're you working on?" She asked quietly. His big dark eyes met her blue ones for a long moment.

"Working out some calculatiosn on paper…" He paused. "I think I might know how to get back to my timeline. And when I do that, your Connor will probably have the same idea, and come back through here. If we're both geniuses who like to watch Doctor Who." His voice was stronger, louder than before - still with a faint wobble, as if on the verge of cracking with emotion barely held behind a dam.

"What?!" Jack gasped, and grinned. "Yes, you two have that in common, no doubt. But what - how do you figure?" She stumbled over her words , turning her head to look at the paper.

"That's not really on there, as much as it is up 'ere." Connor said, tone apologetic as he tapped his head lightly. Jack nodded.

"Tell me, please?"

"Okay." He was gathering up his thoughts, trying to arrange them in something that would sound coherant and make sense for Jackalyn, when the object of his focus walked in the break room.

"Hey, Mac!" Jack called to her friend. The young man changed directions and came over, grinning.

"Hey Jacks, hey Connor." Mac Rendall. The same Mac he'd just met a week ago in another timeline and time, who'd told him that there had been another him. That was what his theory was about. This Mac was the one that he'd been told was dead in the other timeline. Eventually an anomaly would open, to that timeline - otherwise, how would Mac have known about other!mac?

"Do you wanna be me guinea pig?"

"What?"

"Connor… your theory, about the timelines… has something to do with Mac?"

"…Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

* * *

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

* * *

Chapter 5 : Plans

Once Connor had ironed out his thoughts into something that Mac and Jackalyn would be able to comprehend, he spent the next twenty minutes or so explaining it as clearly as possible. Halfway through, Jack got up to get him another sandwich when his stomach growled at him again, and Connor and Mac sat there quietly until she returned. Mac looked at Connor.

Apparently he was meant to believe that Connor was from an alternate universe, and while in the past had met another Mac, who said he'd met another Mac. It was enough to make his head spin, to be honest.

"So, the other me said he met me?" The young soldier attempted to sort it all out. Connor nodded. Jacks frowned for a moment before she met Connor's eyes.

"What did the other Mac say, exactly?"

* * *

"Mac! Wait!"

"Connor -"

Mac ignored both of them as he ran down the corridor of the ARC, away from Connor and Jack. Apparently he was supposed to go along with this, even knowing that there was a good chance that in order for Connor to see his wife again, Mac would have to lose his life. He didn't even know this Connor! how could the other man seriously ask that of him?!

* * *

Connor's knees wobbled, but he stood despite that, chasing Mac as the other man ran.

"Mac! Wait!" He hadn't explained it all! Bloody hell, he'd really messed this one up! There was so, so much more to it than Mac thought, but because of Connor's theatrics in telling him, Mac'd run before he'd finished. Hs heart was hammering in his chest as he nearly overbalanced skidding around a corner. Mac ignored him completely... sort of like how Connor was ignoring Jackalyn's attempts to stop him from running.

She grabbed his arm as he slowed down at a fork in the corridors, unsure which way Rendall had gone, and Connor found his legs giving out beneath his malnourished body now that adrenaline wasn't pumping through his system. Jackalyn caught him, helping him slide down to sit on the floor against the wall. He took a few moments to catch his breath, and turned to look at Jack. She was glaring at him.

"Look, I know this looks bad, but -"

"So you're saying you weren't implying that Mac has to die? And you're also saying you weren't just running after barely eating for a week?" Her glare was Abby-worthy, and Connor winced.

"No! I mean yes! I - I wasn't sayin' that Mac has ta die, okay? It's no' as simple as all tha', anyway. Or at least... if he does, it's not just important to me personally, Ab - Jackalyn." He winced at his slip up. "If we don't follow th' basic idea of the main timeline, we could unravel time completely, yeah? As in, we don't know how important this whole.. thing, is, an' we can't just say tha' the risk in't worth it, yeah? It's not jus' about me 'n Abby, Jackalyn."

Jack let him finish, before her mouth firmed. "It's Jack, Connor." She paused. "You really think that's true, though?"

"It's wha' it all adds up ta, Jack. A lot of thinkin's gone inta this."

"Huh." Jack exhaled gustily, pressing her lips together in the way that Abby did when she was concentrating on something. "I guess we have to find Mac and explain. I don't know if he'll be any happier with your full theory, though." Jack smirked at him. "And you're still in trouble for runnin' like tha'. You didn't think about how weak your body is right now."

"Are you gonna take me ta the Medic's? 'Cause I don' fancy our chances of y' carryin' me all the way there, 'n Jess'll think someone hurt me if I stay 'ere."

"Someone did hurt you - yourself. Honestly, I thought maybe you were different from my Connor, but apparently not in that respect."

Connor grew quiet.

"I... " He began, but then switched gears. "How're you no' a quivering ball of heartbreak, eh?"

Jack froze.

"How do you know I'm not? I just don't want to show it - or let it rule my life."

Connor was quiet for a few moments again, before he glanced at her.

"You're like Abby, you know? Sometimes I'm surprised by the fact that there's somethin' she's afraid of. Me, everythin' scares me and excites me in equal measure. But Abby - oh, she's scared of love, of commitin' to a real relationship built on love. She pushed me away because she thought if she let me inta her heart. eventually I'd leave 'er. We worked out a lo' of our fears together in the past, but it wasn' till a month or so b'fore our weddin' that we finally banished out respective demons." He paused, biting his lower lip for a moment. "Wha' I'm tryin' ta say is, don't let the fear that everyone'll leave ya, rule your life, either. Let 'im in, once we get this all fixed up, tha' is." Connor said softly. Jack finally moved, breathing as she realized she'd stopped while he spoke, and touched his arm lightly.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"No problem." They leaned against the wall, sitting side by side on the ground, neither saying anything.

A moment later Jack scrambled to her feet and chuckled.

"We got all emotional and I almost forgot to go find Mac!" She exclaimed, running off. Connor watched her go and smiled. Hopefully Mac would listen to Jack. He didn't fancy trying to do it himself. The other man probably didn't want anything to do with him, anyway.

* * *

Connor hadn't seen Mac or Jack since the misunderstanding, but he trusted Jack to convince Mac that this was important. For now, he had to concentrate on getting them to the point of actually needing Mac's coöperation.

He had to convince Matt, first.

* * *

He found the team leader in his office, surrounded by plants. Connor gazed around and breathed deep - the number of plants in the space made the air seem fresher than any other place in the ARC. He saw Matt, and headed over to his desk, putting the stack of papers in his hands down.

"Look, Matt, I know I... we discussed...decided tha' we shouldn't interfere with the anomalies, but..." Matt turned to Connor. "...you did to save the world, an' if I'm righ', if I don't do this, everythin' could unravel." Connor said, tryign to keep his voice steady. Matt looked at him.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get back to Abby?" The Team Leader asked quietly. Connor flinched.

"No." He knew that his emotions were separate, as best as he could get them, from this matter. "There's so much more than just me 'n Abby at stake 'ere. It's just a possible benefit, on th' side, yeah?" He bit his lip, then thumbed through the stack of papers on which he had written up all his calculations and theories.

"I think, I can't be sure yet, tha' if we do nothin', it'll cause the paradox of all paradoxes. Basically not good news, Matt."

The other man nodded.

"What do you think we should do?" Matt asked. Connor had to resist the urge to cheer.

"We still have the data on file from Cutter's anomaly prediction model, yeah? We gave up after 'e died, but you mentioned it once, I think..."

"It's incomplete, and still was in my timeline. The fact that I stopped New Dawn means that that future will never exist. So improving upon the unfinished data can only be a good thing." Matt said, smiling. Connor grinned. Matt was glad to see his friend looking so lively. Those first days, watching the once cheerful man starving himself, a far-away, broken look in his eyes, had been painful. Matt was sure Jack had something to do with this sudden turnaround, and he was overjoyed. Even if he wasn't completely sure of Connor's motives, the younger man was a genius, and knew what he was doing and risking.

"Alright, let's go to the Hub. Jess has the access codes to the memory banks for those files."

"Cheers, mate." Connor said, falling in step as they left Matt's lab.


	6. Chapter 6

********PNW finale spoilers- PUK post-S5 spoilers. *********

Summary: Connor and Kieren go back through the anomaly, to find that something's changed. And that change upturns the boat of Connor's life. But maybe all isn't lost.

* * *

AN: After watching the Primeval New World finale, my mind went into paranoid overdrive and came out with this fic to help work out my fears for Conby. And no, this doesn't actually happen in PNW's finale. :P If you're reading this, I'll assume you've seen it already. If you haven't... don't read?

* * *

Chapter 6 : Predictions

"Okay." Connor looked up so fast at the sound of Mac's voice that he gave himself whiplash.

"Ow, ow!" He rubbed the side of his neck and blinked up at Mac standing in front of his desk. Papers were scattered over the top, filled with equations, and Connor's laptop was open next to a rectangular shaped device with parts hanging out unfinished.

"Sorry." Mac said, tone grudgingly apologetic. Connor waved him off, sitting up straighter, putting down the screwdriver next to the device.

"Erm, so..."

"Okay, I'll do it, I'll go along with your crazy plan." Mac told him, arms crossed across his chest.

"Oh. Great!" Connor exclaimed, feeling a little flustered. "Erm, wha'-all made you change your mind?"

"Jacks can be very convincing." Was all Mac said, before he nodded at Connor and left the lab. The young genius sat there looking gormless, until he turned back to his work with a shake of his head.

* * *

"Are you basing your design on the device from the other alternate future?"

Connor jumped, heart beating rapidly for a moment until he looked up with a scowl at Matt Anderson.

"I wish you all would stop doin' tha'!" He whined, but the scowl slipped at he smiled at his friend after a moment.

"Sorry, mate. Forgot that you're oblivious to everythin' around you when you're workin'."

"Hmf."

After a pause, Connor looked up to see Matt still there, smiling fondly.

"Wha'?" something clicked in his brain and Connor flushed. "Oh, right! Ah, yeah, from what I c'n remember of the device, at least." He paused, and bit his lip. "There're two options. One, I design it to predict anomalies only. Or two, I set it the way Helen's was, where it finds anomalies tha' already exist and does th' opposite of an anomaly locker on 'em. We c'n find and go through anomalies long before they'll open, bu' we'll still 'ave to travel to th' spot they'd normally open at." Matt was quiet while Connor rushed through his explanation, incredibly nervous. Both options were completely safe, and in fact the second would allow them the ability to predict the anomalies as well. But he was afraid Matt wouldn't approve.

The Irishman looked over the plans on the piece of paper Connor had gestured to, and 'hmm'ed under his breath. Then he looked at Connor.

"As long as you only make one, an' don't lose it in th' past or anythin' like that, I'd hazard a guess that you're in the clear with either of 'em." Matt said. Connor's face brightened with a broad grin.

"Awesome! I'll make th' second. Tha' way, we don' 'ave to wait." Or at least, they hoped.

* * *

"I worked out the patterns, and included that and some data from the dating calculator inta this. Basically, it'll unseal a pre-existing, invisible, sealed anomaly, and can also seal them again after. We'd best predict th' locations first, so if we 'ave to use this, we'll be in the right spot when it opens. Better'n hitting a few buttons 'ere an' having an anomaly in Scotland open unattended, yeah?"

They chuckled. Connor felt comfortably warm. He just had one more thing to do: test it.

* * *

The device had accurately predicted that an anomaly would open in the last isle of a Tescoe's off the main road near London, to the Triassic, two days from then. Luckily, they were there when it did, and nothing came through before they locked it.

Matt told Connor that the next time, they'd let him seal the anomaly with his newest device instead of the locker.

* * *

Connor's breath left him when he read the data on the screen. The AUSAPD (it was only a temporary name - the anomaly unsealing and prediction device) gave a faint beep, and he hit the button to silence the alarm. He was reading the prediction. Everything suddenly seemed so much more real.

In three days' time, he and Mac would go through an anomaly in New Forest and hopefully fix the problem.

Connor was nervous. If he got this wrong, if this was in any way incorrect, he coul make things worse - he was taking a big risk. Even though he was at least 95% sure his theory was correct, and that if he did nothing time and space would completely unravel, he was still worried about what could happen.

It was a lot to be resting on his shoulders alone.

Connor took a deep breath and let it out slowly, steadying himself, before he looked at Mac, and nodded. The other man closed his eyes.

Connor hoped he would not regret this.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Just a quick chapter before things really get interesting... ;)

* * *

Chapter 7 : Anomaly

He had been in this timeline for a month. Today was the last day; today he and Mac would go through the anomaly. They had not waited the three days for the anomaly to open on its own. They'd left the ARC the same afternoon as he'd taken the prediction. Connor was still surprised that Mac was going along with this. There was a good chance the soldier would die, but the younger man seemed calm about it all. The New Forest was a little chilly at this time of year, reminding Connor of times in the past and Abby.

Connor glanced at Mac as he dialed in the code in the AUSAPD (and it really needed a new name… that one was a bit of a mouthful!). Besides the worry over Mac's nonchalance, Connor was also somewhat worried that he'd mess things up even more. Meaning, Evan and Dylan and alternate timeline Mac might be standing between this anomaly and the one to six years in Evan's past.

But doing nothing was the worse of the options they had at their disposal, so Connor finished entering the sequence and the 'ok' command, and then aimed his device. An anomaly shimmered and swirled into view suddenly, a few feet away from them, and at ground level. Connor grinned at Mac, who smiled back, despite himself.

"You ready?"

"As ready 's I'll ever be." Mac replied.

"Jack is still angry she doesn't get to come with us."

"I'm still angry with you."

"I understand." Connor murmered, and with that, they stepped through the anomaly's glittering shards of space and time.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: The chapters after this get interesting… Not that this one isn't. And while this story concentrates on the PUK team more than the PNW team, I'm hoping to hint at something in the end about what happens with Dylan, Evan, and even Mac…. ;) But this chapter just moved things forwards more.

* * *

Chapter 8 : Decisions

Connor looked around as he passed through the anomaly and into the 'spaghetti junction', as he had once called it. There were dozens of other anomalies around, and Connor wondered whether, if one were to keep walking, they would eventually come upon the rolling hills of grass that had been his first sight of the junction 6 years ago. It seemed pretty plausible to him that there was just one junction of anomalies, a whole 'time period' of its own across the earth…

He turned to ask Mac an idle question, only to stop short. Mac had vanished, leaving Connor alone, a handheld detector, Mac's ARC jacket, and an EMD in the messenger bag over one shoulder. He'd been prepared to give them to Mac to preserve the timeline, but now Mac was...

He heard someone speaking, a now-familiar voice, and hurried as quietly as possible towards the sound. Connor peeked out from behind some bushes, taking in the sight of another Mac standing with his back to the anomaly, facing Evan and Dylan.

Oh.

That would sort of explain it - apparently, unless one of them was dead, two versions of the same person could not exist in the same location at the same time. That was an interesting theory, but Connor pushed it to the back of his mind. Connor crept closer, going around and staying hidden so he could hear better.

* * *

Other Mac was speaking, his tone urgent.

"Wait, so if everything's supposed to happen the way it did in 2006, and the other Mac, the one you put in the freezer's not there, then… Who's going to save your life?"

Connor bit his lip, realizing something. He shifted where he was crouched, falling still as that made leaves crunch noisily beneath him. He focused on the conversation again.

"No one." That was Evan speaking. Connor got to his feet again and edged out from behind the bushes.

* * *

"Stuff this." Mac said, turning around to face the swirling shards of the anomaly.

"Oi! Wait!" Evan, Dylan and Mac all turned around to face Connor, surprise and recognition on their faces.

"Connor?" Dylan exclaimed. He stopped a few feet away, a rueful expression on his face.

"This is no' how I expected this to be going, an' honestly I'd really prefer if I could jus' say 'stop', but you're doin' right by tryin' to keep the timeline preserved..." Connor babbled at high speed, knowing time was short.

Dylan was still holding onto Evan's arm, and Evan opened his mouth to argue. Mac looked puzzled.

Connor pulled out and held up the handheld detector. (His new device was in the messenger bag, but he was definitely not showing them that. That would really be a bad idea. He checked subtly to make sure he'd pulled the right one out of his bag, though.)

"I 'ave an EMD and jacket, too." There were expressions of realization upon all three faces, though Evan's was stark and pained.

"Sorry." Connor added quietly.

"No time for that. I've got to do this, Evan." Dylan tugged on Evan's sleeve and he looked at her. There was some sort of silent communication between the two, and then, while Connor was pulling the jacket and EMD gun from his bag, Evan pulled Mac into a hug.

Mac gave Dylan a hug as well; before he dressed as the version of himself he had seen dead and frozen, and stepped through the anomaly.

Evan and Dylan stood side by side as they watched the anomaly for a few more minutes, and Connor murmured another 'sorry' before he picked up his bag and walked away.

* * *

Connor was incredibly nervous upon reaching his anomaly, unsure if he had done the right thing. Mac would've sacrificed himself either way, Connor reminded himself. He'd just made sure that the inevitable action had the right result. Hopefully.

He took a deep breath and wished Dylan and Evan luck in life before stepping through the anomaly. Maybe he would check on the Canadians when he got back... if he got back to his own timeline.

* * *

AN2: don't be mad at me! I never said Mac's dead...


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Okay, so I realized that there may have been some confusion over why Kieren wasn't with Mac and Connor, and I puzzled over that choice myself, until I came up with the outline for this chapter and the next while lying in an armchair in my grandfather's office. I think I was sleeping when I thought of it, acutally, but, anyways! Hope you enjoy this chapter and that it isn't confusing! :3

AN2: This does mean that I probably won't go with my original idea of multiple possible endings... but who knows...

* * *

Before Connor had made the decision of who would go through the anomaly to the junction, he had spent hours pouring over his research.

It was to his surprise the conclusion that whatever had happened had been pure coincidence - he and Kieren stepping through into the alternate timeline with Jacks and Claudia instead of Jenny and Abby.

The changes would affect both timelines, so, had he stepped into the correct timeline and found things as normal as ever, he would not have known that the space time continuum was about to unravel completely.

Connor's theory meant that if he wanted to get back to Abby, he would have to find a specific anomaly that led to the other timeline : fixing what needed to be fixed was unlikely to end in him returning to Abby immediately. So Connor had split his attentions between the two dual projects of identifying and predicting the anomalies they needed.

It was why only he and Mac went through, as Connor was reasonably sure there would not be any timeline shift while they were at the junction.

* * *

Connor knew when he emerged from the Junction Anomaly that he was in Jackalyn's timeline, as Claudia was there with Kieren and Becker.

"Our Mac vanished, the other one sacrificed himself, but I made sure the timelines were set to rights. Everything happened the same as it had the first time." Well, he was pretty sure. Apart from 'give Mac an ARC uniform and send him through to his doom', the EMD and anomaly detector had all been guesswork.

* * *

It was a quiet trip back to the ARC, and Connor felt guilty. Becker and Claudia had known Mac for longer and much better than he had in the past month or so. They'd just lost a good friend and a teammate. (So had Dylan and Evan, but he would definitely try and contact them later, and apologize)

He didn't try to console them : while 'all of space and time won't go to shit now, yay!' appeased his guilt a little, along with the knowledge that Mac would have done it either way, it would do nothing for the rest of this Mac's team. Kieren was quiet too, more contemplative than usual for the generally upbeat and easygoing man.

* * *

"You're coming out to dinner with us, aren't you?" Connor looked 'round at Jacks standing in the doorway to his lab, an eyebrow raised. For the first time he saw her independantly from Abby. Her clothing style was different, and her hair was short with pink streaks. Jacks was a little quieter, and yet more inclined towards words than his Abby was. She was also not the 'lizard girl' who wasn't afraid to say what she meant that he knew in his timeline. Jackalyn was a different person.

He wanted to get home, wanted to see his wife, and kiss her and hug her and never let go. Connor glanced down at the desk, eyes scanning the documents spread across it.

"I really need to find the pattern, Jacks..."

"One night with the group. If you're still here tomorrow night I'll leave you be with a sandwhich, but we're honoring Mac, and the others want you to be there, too..."

He hesitated, but then aquiesced. It wouldn't take too long, and maybe stepping back would help him work out how to predict an anomaly to another

timeline.

* * *

"I've got it! I think!" Connor exclaimed, standing up so fast that the stool he'd been sitting on tumbled to the floor with a loud metallic clang. He winced, but the full-blown grin on his face didn't waver for more than a moment. Jacks and Kieren cheered. Matt nodded, eyes sparkling.

He hadn't realized that a crowd had formed in his lab until after he'd announced his victory, and looked around with surprise.

"That's great Connor!" He heard Jess over his coms, and grinned.

"I c'n get back ta Abby!"

He had predicted an anomaly that would open in a month (on its own) up in Nottingham, about 2 and a half hours away from the ARC. According to his new device, and all of the research he had done on the Permian anomaly (Cutter and the Claudia-Jenny 'shift') and the first recent junction anomaly, the Nottingham one would lead to the same location in the other timeline.

Or, at least, _a _timeline. He was more or less certain it was his, though. The data matched his own home timeline's data nearly perfectly. With the device, he could open it as soon as he wished, and he and Kieren could go home!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I was thinking that perhaps it being merely a prediction device may have been a better choice overall, but no going back now! And I think this chapter works quite well. A bit short, but I hope you enjoy! :D I'm sorta sad that this's getting closer to the end!

* * *

Connor stood by the building inside which the anomaly was set to appear in a month's time, holding his device in a tight grip, Kieren beside him. The team had cordoned off the area, and as soon as Jacks returned, he would open the anomaly and go through with Kieren. He was waiting for Jackalyn because he wanted to say goodbye. He'd already said farewell to Claudia Brown, the only other of his friends who he would not see on the other side. Jacks wasn't Abby, but he still had come to care about her... she was a friend.

So he wasn't going to go home until he'd said goodbye. He had all the time in the world, thanks to his new device. Connor glanced at it, grimacing. That was a dangerous thought. New Dawn and Phillip Burton had awoken Connor to the possibility that people could want to use his inventions for evil.

Kieren caught his glance.

"What're you going to do with tha' after we get back? You know the Matt from our time won't be happy about it." Kieren echoed Connor's thoughts.

"It'll go somewhere safe, and I'll take out the power pack." He replied, "Matt'll understand. How d'ya think he got to our time? Just waited around 'till the right anomaly opened?" Connor added, humor in his tone. "Someone must've invented something like this."

Kieren nodded. He was the newbie; Connor knew their team leader far better.

* * *

Jackalyn left Matt by the temporary police barrier they'd put up, smirking a little. He looked uncomfortable wearing the same sort of outfit as the soldiers, much to Becker's amusement. But they'd thought it best for this specific situation. Usually they wore their ARC jackets and that was enough, but they didn't want this to be noticed.

If the public knew they had the power to open anomalies, and were doing so at this moment, there would be uproar. Jacks knew enough to know that for sure. She'd tried not to pay too close attention to what Connor was doing while he worked on his device, because she didn't want to accidentally learn how to make it. She had been surprised to hear that in his world, he was the tech and dino expert (so to speak, and of course she meant 'prehistoric creatures', not only 'dinosaurs', but that was neither here nor there), and she- or another version of her - was the lizard girl. In Jack's world, she was the techie-genius, and her Connor had been both lizard boy and paleontologist. It was interesting... but thought for another time.

So she hadn't wanted to learn how to make one of his new devices, because she knew how potentially disastrously dangerous it could be, in the wrong hands. She wasn't so sure she wanted to be responsible for something that risky, which would need to be under lock and key and security greater than that of the ARC alone.

Jacks shook her head, rousing herself from her musings. Connor was leaving, about to go through an anomaly and get back to the woman he loved. Hopefully she would get her own Connor back. The world was a little more grey without a Connor Temple around to lighten it up.

* * *

...

Abby sat inside an office building and watched the corner of the room. Beside her, on her left, sat a man who looked just like Connor, who had his name, but was not him. On her right, Matt sat, reading a journal.

"Are you sure it's going to open here? And Conn's going to come through?" Abby asked, frowning. "And is this Connor going to vanish when our's returns?" She added. The man on her left looked at her in alarm.

"Wha'?" He exclaimed, looking at Matt now. "I could disappear?!" Matt turned the page in the journal, muttering something. "And whose journal is that, anyway? You're being all mysterious!"

"Calm down, Conn." Abby said, smiling despite herself. He was very much like her Connor, in his tendency to ramble, his enthusiasm, and a variety of other things... but the differences were jarring enough. He sat back, fidgeting nervously. "Matt!" She tried to catch the time traveler's attention.

"Hm?" Matt looked up, and their questions finally connected. "Oh! Ah, well, I might as well tell you. This is our Connor's journal." Abby and alternate!Connor boggled at him. "If you look under his pillow, you'll find one. This is from my timeline."

Abby had comprehension in her eyes, and a hint of suspicion, whilst alternate!Connor just looked puzzled.

"Later, Abby." Matt said. After he glanced at the book, before nodding to himself. "You-" he pointed at the other Connor, "-will have to enter the anomaly at the exact moment Connor does. Luckily he writes it down. If you do it this way, you'll both return to your right timeline."

Abby gazed back at the wall where the anomaly would soon be.

"When?" Her voice was shaky. She had missed him so much, and she knew that this Connor missed his Jackalyn just as much.

"Fifteen minutes from now until the anomaly opens. Five minutes after that on the dot Connor'll step through."

Abby glanced at the alternate Connor.

"Hey, Conn?" He tilted his head. "Tell her how you feel. I know she feels the same, if she's anything at all like me." He blushed. All they had to do now, was wait.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: This fic was as wild a ride as Feral, if in a different sort of way. I appreciate all the reviews and feedback immensely, by the way! 3

This is the final chapter, and I hope I've wrapped all the bits of the story up well, and I hope you enjoy what I've done.

* * *

Connor ran his thumb over the buttons on his device. Kieren was talking to two of the SF's about something a few feet away, but Connor had tuned out.

He gazed at the point before him where he would open the anomaly. It seemed almost unreal. Not too long ago he'd walked through an anomaly, unsuspecting, to find himself in an alternate timeline. Connor was a bit embarrassed that he'd blamed Evan for finding things different on the other side of the anomaly.

He shook his head, rolling his shoulders. It had happened, and that was that. Now his only duty was to get back home. Connor rubbed his thumb across the sequence again. He wasn't quite sure what he was waiting for. Connor glanced at his watch. He'd already gotten the all-clear from Matt and Becker. Jacks! Where was she?

"Kieren," He called over his shoulder. "Do y' know where Jacks is?"

"Right here, Conn." He turned around at the sound of her voice.

"Jacks!"

"Thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye?" She teased him. It was a noticeable how their interactions had changed from their first meeting up to now. In the beginning, he knew he'd been uncomfortable around her. He kept looking at her and imagining he was looking at Abby, and it had hurt. But now he could see her as Jackalyn, a different person, and a friend. He'd miss her, he couldn't lie about that.

"'Course not." Connor said, laughing.

They hugged, and then Jacks stepped back.

"It's time for you to go home." She told him. "Abby's waitin'."

He smiled. "I hope your Connor comes through that anomaly." He told her.

"Me too." Jacks said, sighing.

"Ready to go, Conn?" Kieren asked, walking over. Connor nodded, turning away to power up his device. He punched in the numbers, and aimed. A few seconds passed, and just as he was getting nervous, the shards of an anomaly appeared, unfolding like a strange but beautiful flower from thin air.

"Wow." Jacks murmured. Neither she nor Kieren had ever seen an anomaly open.

"Never ceases to amaze me, even after all the danger and death linked to their existence in me life." Connor said softly. It was true, even after New Dawn. Anomalies were beautiful. People and creatures were dangerous.

Kieren looked at Connor, who nodded. Just before the two men stepped into the anomaly, Connor paused.

"Oh, and you should ask him out. He loves you, I'm sure of it." Connor said to Jacks, half-turning to grin at her.

"Cheeky." She muttered, laughing.

"Bye!"

They vanished into the swirling shards of time and space.

* * *

Jacks gazed at the anomaly, seconds ticking by. Her hope faded quickly.

And then all of a sudden, Connor stepped out of the anomaly. He was dressed differently, and Kieren wasn't in tow. In the back of her mind she wondered what had happened to their Kieren, but the rest of her mind was focused on the man before her.

"Jacks?" Connor asked, his tone hopefuly. She grinned at him.

"Yep." He broke out into a giant beaming grin, rushing forwards and sweeping her up into an enthusiastic hug, her feet not quite touching the ground.

"I missed you!" He told her, the words muffled.

"Me too." Jacks said softly. He set her back on her feet, and smiled hesitantly at her from under his eyelashes. She chuckled. "My idiot." His brow furrowed, and then his eyes slammed shut as she grabbed the lapel of his shirt, pulled him close, and kissed him.

"A very smart man gave me some good advice." She murmured when they parted, opening her eyes to meet his gaze.

"Huh." He paused. "Will you go out with me, Jacks?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

"I had a bit of advice from a very smart woman." He told her. And then they didn't say very much at all.

* * *

Later the ARC would recieve a call from Canada's Tank, asking them to pick up a man named Kieren, who had wandered, bewildered, out of an anomaly on the same day a different Connor Temple walked out of an anomaly and turned Jacks' life into chaos. She silently thanked that other Connor, and his Abby. Without them, who knows when she and her Conn would've gotten together? Or if they would have at all? And of course she was glad to find Kieren was okay, if a little confused.

* * *

"You should write everything down in your diary, Conn." Abby commented, as they lay cuddled close in bed. He jerked in surprise.

"How'd y' know about me diary?!"

"It's how we figured out how to get the other Connor home, and how we knew you'd come through that anomaly earlier." Well, they weren't exactly sure if the other Connor had arrived home safely. But there was no way to find out.

"What do you mean?" Connor asked, thoroughly confused.

"Matt had a version of your diary from his timeline, from the future."

"Oh. Huh." He snuggled closer to her again, kissing her cheek. Abby pulled the duvet up over their shoulders, and settled back against the pillows, closing her eyes.

"Abbs..."

"Yeah, Conn?"

"How'd Matt get a future me's diary? An' why'd 'e hold onto it?" She opened her eyes, unsure how much to divulge of her suspicions.

"I think he's related to us, somehow."

"Wow."

"Mhm."

Abby began drifting off again, but Connor had one more thing on his mind.

"Abbs?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Love you too." She mumbled sleepily, twining her fingers with his. He smiled, and closed his eyes. Soon, they were fast asleep.

* * *

Matt carefully put the diary away in its box in his closet, taking care not to disturb the slumbering Emily in his bed as he did so. Then he pulled out his own diary from beneath his pillow, writing down the day's events in it. He knew that Abby would corner him tomorrow to ask about Connor's diary.

He wasn't sure how much he should tell her, whether he should give away that he had been born their son, and in his timeline was orphaned after New Dawn and brought up by the man he had known for the rest of his life as 'dad'.

He was sure Abby had made her own conclusions, and Connor as well. He didn't really need to confirm or deny any of it. Not even Emily knew the full story.

He glanced at his father's - at Connor's - diary in its box, and smiled as he got into bed, putting away his own book beneath his pillow.

* * *

Connor woke, opening his eyes to find sunlight streaming in the windows. A glance at his clock told him it was noon - his clock! He was home! He suddenly recalled the day before, and relaxed. He heard the door to his and Abby's room open, and the bed sunk slightly.

"Mornin'." He said.

"Lester said we have the day off." Abby told him. "How does breakfast in bed sound?"

"Mhh, like heaven on earth." He said, rolling over to face her. He paused. "You're beautiful." Connor added, smiling. She rolled her eyes, putting the tray down to lean close and press a kiss to his lips.

"My silly, loving idiot." Abby murmured, pulling the sheet up to her lap before leaning towards the bedside table. She carefully picked up the tray and lay it across their laps as Connor sat up.

They were contentedly quiet as they ate, shoulders touching.

"It's kinda funny." Connor commented, out of the blue.

"What is, Conn?" Abby asked, raising an eyebrow. She was used to this sort of thing from her genius of a husband, but she was curious.

"How it was all about gettin' back to you - and then it was also about fixin' time, as well. And in the end, both of us focused on gettin' the alternate timeline's versions of ourselves together."

"Well, how could we not?" Abby said, chuckling. "I love you too much, and you love me too much, for me to not try and get them to have the same amount of happiness that we have together."

"Yeah." He took a sip of tea and then hummed, bumping her shoulder with his own, gently. "I'm really, really glad I got back to you, Abbs." Connor told her.

"Me too, love."


End file.
